Graduate Music Placement & Oral Exams
Graduate Music Placement Exams
All first-semester graduate students in the School of Music are required to complete the Music History assessment and the Music Theory placement exams. These are scheduled prior to the start of classes in August. In addition, students in the Master of Music Voice Performance concentration will work with their studio faculty advisor to complete a Diction placement exam.
Admitted students are provided entrance exam study guides to assist with preparation for the exams.
Music History Assessment
The Music History Assessment is an opportunity for entering graduate students to gauge their abilities in the academic skills necessary for success in both their coursework in the Master of Music degree and in a future career in music. It is an online assessment shared with admitted students two weeks before the first day of Fall classes. Students are required to return the completed assessment within a designated timeline so that it can be graded before classes start.
Master of Music students are required to complete either MUSC622-Materials and Methods of Research or MUSC627-Methods and Materials of Music Education Research depending on their degree concentration. Successful completion of MUSC622 or MUSC627 and a satisfactory score on the Music History Assessment are prerequisites for MUSC611-Studies in Music History.
Students who do not have passing results on the Music History Assessment will complete supplemental instruction while enrolled in either MUSC622 or MUSC627. The fall-only Music History supplemental modules are intended to support student success and serve as prerequisites in lieu of passing the Assessment.
Music Theory Placement Exam
The Music Theory Placement Exam is held in-person on the Saturday before classes start in the Fall term.
All first-semester Master of Music students are pre-registered for MUSC595-Theory Foundations Review until the results of the Music Theory Exam are determined. Students who pass the Theory Placement Exam with a score of 70% or higher will be dropped from this fall-only course, and will have the option to enroll in MUSC695-Advanced Analysis and Interpretation.
Master of Music Oral Exams
Students in the Master of Music program with concentrations in Performance, Conducting, and Composition along with those in the Teaching concentration who choose a Professional Development Project instead of a Thesis, are required to pass an oral examination in order to complete degree requirements. During the Oral Exam the student will demonstrate the ability to speak articulately and intelligently about various aspects of music.
The Music Oral Exam takes place during the student’s last semester of study, with the first attempt occurring no less than three weeks before the last day of classes. For students who are completing coursework in Winter or Summer terms, they are required to abide by the Spring term schedule. The Exam date will be coordinated with the student’s studio faculty advisor, two additional approved graduate Music faculty members, and the School of Music Academic Advisor.
There are reserved Oral Exam times on select Fridays and Saturdays in the Spring term from which students and their exam committee can choose. Fall graduates will work individually with the Academic Advisor to reserve their Oral Exam times. Exam accommodations can be facilitated for those students who are registered with the UD Office of Disability Support Services.
The Oral Exam is scheduled for no less than seventy-five (75 minutes). Students are expected to speak extemporaneously on topics or questions decided on at least two weeks prior to the exam date. Each studio faculty advisor will lead the exam committee in a collegial conversation with the Master student about the topics that had been agreed upon. The student may not have written notes or other materials, including their instrument, in the room for the exam. After about an hour (60 minutes) of discussion, the student will leave the exam room while the exam committee determines exam results.
One of three possible results will be marked on an Oral Exam Completion form: Pass, Partial Pass or Not Pass. Students with a Partial Pass or Not Pass will work with the Academic Advisor to plan for the Oral Exam re-takes. Master of Music students are not permitted to make a third attempt at Oral Exams. Students who Pass the Oral Exam must return an Oral Exam Completion form, signed by all three exam committee members, to the Academic Advisor as part of their final degree clearance.
